


Threadbare

by KittyBandit



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Homeless, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Bittersweet, Christmas, Fluff, Gift Giving, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 09:51:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17139584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyBandit/pseuds/KittyBandit
Summary: Allen never liked the snow.He knew there was nothing wrong with it. It was pretty enough, white flakes falling from the sky, each one different from the next. For most people, snow would evoke a sense of holiday—twinkling lights on an evergreen tree, building snowmen and sledding, hot cocoa by the fireplace. Family. Togetherness.For Allen, it was just cold. Cold and wet.





	Threadbare

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my contribution to the Laven Christmas Event for the lavenlovers tumblr. Hope you all enjoy it!

Allen never liked the snow.

He knew there was nothing wrong with it. It was pretty enough, white flakes falling from the sky, each one different from the next. For most people, snow would evoke a sense of holiday—twinkling lights on an evergreen tree, building snowmen and sledding, hot cocoa by the fireplace. Family. Togetherness.

For Allen, it was just cold. Cold and wet.

He shoved his hands into the torn pockets of his coat, the mismatched, threadbare gloves he’d found in the garbage a few weeks ago doing nothing to stop the wind from finding his skin and freezing him to the core. His stomach ached, empty for the second day in a row, but there were more important issues to deal with. If they didn’t get out of the cold soon, the quickly dropping temperatures would become less of an inconvenience and more of a life-threatening problem.

“We’ve been down this street already,” Lavi said, hooking his arm around Allen’s and turning him back to a different alley. The wind died down as they slipped between the buildings, but the cold didn’t abate. “I’m telling you, we can’t hit up the usual buildings. Not unless you want to deal with the cops.”

Allen sighed, breathing into collar of his coat. “No, I’d rather not.” Cops were nothing but trouble and loved to take advantage of those who couldn’t defend themselves. Being homeless in the big city never endeared them with anyone, but cops were the worst.

“What about that warehouse? Out by the docks?” Allen suggested, leaning in closer to Lavi’s side and hoping to steal some of his body heat.

Lavi clicked his tongue as they walked, ducking his chin into his long knit scarf. “Maybe. I don’t think anyone’s been out there in a while. It’s worth a shot.”

Arm in arm, they emerged from the alley and onto one of the main streets. Lavi scanned the busy sidewalks, then leaned in closer to Allen’s ear, whispering between them. “Can you run?”

Allen followed Lavi’s gaze to the restaurant across the way. He swallowed hard, the faint aroma calling to his stomach. It growled again, and he willed himself to keep steady on his feet. “I think so.”

With a quick nod, Lavi pulled away. “I’ll go in. If we get separated, you know where to meet, right?”

“Yes.”

Lavi gave him a quick smile before he crossed the street, slipping just out of view of the front door. Allen watched him as he leaned against the brick wall of the restaurant, head down and looking as unobtrusive as one person could in broad daylight. Allen watched from the corner of his eye, trying to mimic the same invisibility Lavi had managed. He pulled the cheap hood further over his face, hiding his white hair and scarred face—though no matter how hard Allen tried to not be noticed, he never seemed to be as good at it as Lavi did.

Together they waited, on opposite sides of the street, until the moment presented itself. Allen clenched and unclenched his hands in his pockets, hoping to will the numbness away and get the blood flowing back in his extremities. It didn’t help much, but it was something to do while they waited their time.

Luck was on their side that night.

A family left the restaurant, leftovers in a conveniently wrapped bag that one of the kids swung loosely in their hand. None of them paid attention to their surroundings, or to Lavi’s unobtrusive form against the wall. When the parents’ backs were turned, Lavi struck. He lurched forward, yanking the food from the child’s hands and darting in the opposite direction.

Allen heard the family’s shouts of confusion and anger as Lavi disappeared with food, and he took his leave as well, darting down the alley and heading to their rendezvous point.

The snow was piling higher as Allen raced through the back alleys, barely keeping on his feet. Snow and ice slipped down his collar as he ran, unable to keep his hood up. Wind whipped at his red, frozen cheeks, and he only hoped he was going the right direction. He couldn’t see Lavi anymore, but he knew the redhead had to have escaped. He was too quick to get caught that easily. Out of breath, Allen leaned against one of the buildings as he reached the docks, over ten blocks away. His stomach ached again, and the hunger drove him on. He had to get out of the cold and find Lavi.

The snow-laden alley opened up to a large empty lot, rusted chain-link fencing curling over along sections of the border. Allen spotted the building on the other side of the lot, broken windows and stained cement walls looking more inviting than they should have to his weary limbs. Slipping through one of the larger holes in the fence, Allen fell into the unblemished expanse of snow, ripping his tattered coat in the process. With a muffled curse, he stood up on wobbly legs and continued towards the abandoned warehouse.

Tugging the holey coat closer to his body, Allen ducked his head low to keep the wind from whipping across his unprotected skin. Each step felt like a trudge through wet cement for how heavy the snow was, and by the time he reached the edge of the building, sweat trickled down the back of his neck. He leaned against the dirty, crumbling cement wall, swallowing down the ache of thirst in his throat and the pang of hunger in his gut. He couldn’t stop now—he had to keep moving.

There were no doors or windows low enough to reach on this side of the building With a groan, Allen continued on around the building, looking for a place to sneak inside. If he was outside in this weather any longer, he’d freeze to death.

As he rounded the corner, he saw a door propped open with a piece of old wood between the frame and the door. In the fresh snow, footprints were clearly visible. Allen’s blue tinged lips quirked into a smirk. Lavi must have beaten him to the warehouse. With the promise of food just out of reach, Allen hurried inside closing the door behind him.

The air still nipped at Allen’s skin, but the escape from the bitter wind was a relief in itself. With caution, he scanned the building. The warehouse was mostly open, large pillars still standing strong and keeping the entire structure from collapsing in on itself. Old equipment sat rusting in the corners of the room, and garbage littered the floor.

Taking a tentative step forward, Allen peered into the darkened room, trying to see by the scant light pouring in through the broken windows. “…Lavi?”

He heard rustling out of sight, and a loud creaking noise. “Al, over here.”

Following Lavi’s voice, he treaded carefully through the dilapidated building, avoiding broken glass, bent nails, and splintered wood as he made his way to the back corner. There, behind a half-crumbled wall, he found Lavi. The redhead had found a decent place to crash for the night. The partitioned off room, or what was left of it, looked to have been an office at some point. Away from any drafts sneaking through the broken windows, it was considerably warmer than the rest of the room. Lavi had laid out a large piece of plywood to keep them off the cement floor, and had found a tattered tarp to lay out. It wasn’t much, but it was more than they normally had.

“I was starting to worry you got lost again,” Lavi said, patting the noisy plastic tarp next to him. He still had the bag of food in his possession, unopened.

“Took longer than I thought. The snow is thick.” He settled in next to Lavi, grateful for getting off his sore legs. “So, what’s the catch of the day?”

Lavi set the bag in Allen’s lap, grinning widely. “Don’t know. Didn’t open it yet. Figured I’d let you do the honors.”

“Thanks,” Allen said, sliding closer to Lavi. He barely held himself back from ripping into the bag. As he untied it, the scent of fresh food hit his nostrils, and his stomach growled in appreciation.

There were four containers in all, tightly concealed in plastic. He handed two to Lavi and took the other two for himself. Whenever they stole food like this, it was always a fun surprise to see what they ended up with. “Let’s see…” He opened his first container and grinned. “Chicken alfredo. Nice.”

Lavi opened one of his containers. “Looks like I have the kids meal. Half eaten chicken strips and stale fries.”

Allen peeked into the second box. “Spaghetti and meatballs. Oh, look! There’s a bag of breadsticks in here.”

“Lasagna!” Lavi exclaimed as he opened his other box. “We’re eating like kings tonight. Perfect for a Christmas Eve dinner.”

Allen’s grin faltered at the mention of the day. “Is it Christmas Eve already?” He hadn’t realized it was so late in the month. He swallowed, throat tight as his appetite evaporated on the spot.

Lavi noticed the sudden drop in Allen’s mood and leaned in closer, handing him one of the breadsticks from the bag. “Al? You okay.”

“Yeah, it’s just… You know. Tomorrow’s Christmas.”

There was a heavy silence, only the sound of the harsh winter wind sneaking through the cracks of the building between them. Lavi set the stolen containers of food down and wrapped his arms around Allen’s neck, pulling him closer. Allen felt his breath against his cheek, warm and comforting. He didn’t speak—he didn’t need to. Lavi understood.

Allen fell into the embrace, slipping his arms around Lavi’s waist and digging his cold fingers into the fabric of Lavi’s shirt. Maybe it was the cold weather or his empty stomach or his aching, exhausted body. Maybe it was the few precious moments of peace and comfort, something he’d been denied for so long he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt _taken care of_. But as he pressed his face against Lavi’s chest, silent tears tracked their way down his wind-burned cheeks. He hadn’t cried in a year—not since last Christmas. Not since his father had been taken from him.

“I’m sorry,” Allen mumbled, swallowing around the lump in his tight throat as he struggled to hold back any more tears. He’d spent months not thinking about that day, months pushing down his grief and willing it away. But like all buried things, time had a way of digging it back up to the surface for everyone to see. At least now he had Lavi to lean on.

“Don’t be,” Lavi whispered back, tightening his grip. “We all got our baggage. No shame in being unable to carry it anymore.”

His eyes still burned with tears, but they slowed their silent progression down his cheeks. “Mm,” he mumbled, not trusting his voice to keep from breaking if he spoke.

“Hey,” Lavi began, loosening his grip. “I got you something—for your birthday. Well, your birthday _and_ Christmas.”

Allen cleared his throat and sat up, hands still lingering on Lavi. He didn’t want to lose that connection just yet. “Lavi, you didn’t have to do that.”

He shrugged, a lopsided grin spreading over his face. “I just got lucky yesterday morning and managed to snitch something from the newspaper stand. Figured I’d save it for your big day, but I think you might enjoy it more now.”

With a short, strained laugh, Allen smiled and rubbed his eyes. “You’re getting better at stealing things.” Not five months ago, Lavi hadn’t been able to steal a bag from a blind man. Allen had taught him a few tricks, things he’d learned from years on the streets. The redhead was a quick learner, and picked it up without an issue. It helped when Allen felt sick to have someone be able to snitch dinner for them both, but it didn’t ease the guilt he’d felt for relying on Lavi these past few days.

Lavi fumbled with the many pockets of his jacket, looking for where he’d stashed the gift. “I learned from the master.” After checking a few more secret pockets, he grinned in triumph, pulling out a small foil-wrapped chocolate bar and handing it to Allen. “Here. Happy birthday, Al.”

Taking the bar with both hands, Allen sighed, a wistful smile on his face. “I haven’t had chocolate in a while.” He pressed the wrapped bar to his lips, inhaling the fresh, sweet aroma. “Thank you, Lavi.”

Leaning in, Lavi pressed a soft, quick kiss to Allen’s temple before retreating. Even in the dim light of the warehouse, Allen couldn’t miss the blush on his cheeks. “You deserve it.”

Allen ripped open the wrapper, the sweet scent of chocolate filling the air between them. Without hesitation, he broke the bar in half and handed one piece back to Lavi. “Let’s share it.”

Lavi shook his head. “It’s your present, Al. I got it for you.”

“But it’s also Christmas.” He crawled closer to Lavi, slipping between his legs—intimately close. The redhead blushed harder, leaning back to reclaim some of his personal space. “Besides, I want to share.”

Tentatively, Lavi reached out, taking the chocolate in his hand. “You sure?”

“Yeah. C’mon, it’s best to have dessert before dinner, right?”

Snorting out a quick laugh, Lavi shook his head. “Sounds right to me.” They ate the chocolate together, slowly chewing and savoring each sweet bite. Allen let out an appreciative moan, licking his fingers after he finished.

“It’s as good as I remember.” Allen smiled and hugged Lavi again, face buried against his neck. “Thank you.”

Lavi returned the hug, squeezing him tight. “Anything for you, Al.”

“Now if only you could make it warmer.”

Lavi hummed, thinking over the request before pulling back. “Turn around,” he said, unbuttoning his jacket. Allen blinked, watching him curiously. When Lavi held open his coat invitingly, Allen grinned. He turned around, resting his back against Lavi’s chest. Lavi wrapped his coat around Allen. It didn’t close all the way, but Allen had to admit it was warmer cuddling together like this than side by side.

“You really are working Christmas miracles this year, Lavi.” Allen snuggled closer, curling his feet up under himself as he took advantage of their shared warmth. He turned his head to the side, pressing his ear to Lavi’s chest and quietly listened to the steady, comforting beat of his heart.

Resting his chin on top of Allen’s head, Lavi hugged him close. “I do what I can.” They settled in, curled up against the cold weather as the sky darkened outside. “Merry Christmas, Al.”

A soft, tired smile graced Allen’s chapped lips. He closed his eyes and sighed, content. “Merry Christmas, Lavi.”


End file.
